Alberta teens have smoked 260,000 cigarettes today.

Alberta kids deserve better protection from tobacco

The tobacco industry treats Alberta youth like targets, but the Alberta government knows better. When they set goals for tobacco reduction, they know it’s about more than just a number--it’s about the lives of Alberta kids. Each one matters. They deserve better protection.
Since the development of the renewed Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy in 2012, funding has dwindled, several components have not being implemented, and critical measures to protect Alberta youth from exposure to tobacco products remain unproclaimed and unenforced. Help us remind the Alberta government to stick to the goal; because it’s not just a target, it’s our kids’ future.

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Cigarettes are more affordable for young people in Alberta than in any other Canadian province. Tobacco tax increases are the most effective means of reducing and preventing tobacco use – especially among youth.

Legislation restricting tobacco product sales to minors in Alberta has not been fully implemented and no enforcement body has been assigned to actively enforce the law. Alberta currently has the highest rate of illegal tobacco sales to minors of any province.

The Alberta government is considering how to regulate cannabis in response to federal cannabis legalization. This process must take into consideration the strong association between cannabis and tobacco use and the potential for cannabis legalization to impact tobacco initiation and consumption.

In Alberta, for every five youths who report using cigarettes within the past 30 days, there are four youths who report smoking a waterpipe. The negative health effects of waterpipe use are comparable to cigarette smoking, yet its use remains unregulated in Alberta.

E-cigarettes are growing in use and popularity particularly among young people. While they may prove to help individuals quit smoking, their use among youth poses risk associated with nicotine addiction. How e-cigarettes are regulated will largely dictate whether they are a net benefit or a net harm to public health.

The Alberta Tobacco Reduction Strategy has been widely applauded as an ambitious, comprehensive, evidence-based plan to reduce tobacco use in Alberta. However its funding has been substantially eroded and there is a lack of reporting, monitoring and evaluation. Unless it is fully funded and implemented, it is unlikely to reach its targets leaving many Alberta youth to pay the price.

Tobacco use is a significant contributor to the health equity gap in Alberta. In order to reduce health inequities in Alberta, tobacco reduction must be a public policy priority with a focus on policies that are proven to decrease tobacco use among disadvantaged populations.

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About us

The Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta is a coalition of prominent health organizations that are working together to reduce tobacco use in Alberta. Our vision is a healthier Alberta, free from addiction and involuntary exposure to tobacco industry products.